Declan O'Rourke

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1976, Declan O'Rourke writes in a folk, acoustic, and light rock register where guitar, voice, and a marked taste for sober melodies dominate. His career takes shape in the early 2000s with Since Kyabram in 2004, a debut album whose title refers to a family stay in Australia during his adolescence, and continues with Big Bad Beautiful World in 2007 and Mag Pai Zai in 2011. Declan O'Rourke sits within the Anglo-Irish singer-songwriter tradition, with narrative writing, measured arrangements and a constant focus on the song more than on style. Over the years, he has performed both solo and in broader formats, touring notably with John Prine, Snow Patrol, Paul Weller, or Planxty depending on the period, and developing his own stage projects. Gold Bars in the Sun came out in 2015, followed by In Full Colour in 2016, recorded with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, then Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine in 2017, a cycle of songs devoted to the Great Irish Famine with several musicians from the traditional scene. More recently, Declan O'Rourke released Arrivals in 2021, confirming a career committed to songwriting, between contemporary folk, Irish heritage, and a stripped-back acoustic approach.